Scooterbug

I got a call from the Sleep doc's office today. Apparently they were able to get the info they needed from the 2 hours or less of sleep I actually got. Now they scheduled me for another sleep study at 9pm on Friday night, this time with the mask. I take it they will still have all the crazy electrodes hooked to me, I am just praying they don't have the one hooked to my nose this time because that was the worst part. Think I will take some stronger sleep meds this time before I go..maybe I will actually fall asleep this time.

You can also try the meat substitute (soy) products from companies like Morning Star Farms, Boca, Smart-Life, and Quorn (just to name a few). I became a Pescatarian about 5 years ago, and haven't eaten meat since. I could never be a full vegan because I love cheese and shrimp too much (cheese is my downfall). The soy products are not too bad, some of them just take a little getting used to. I asked my Nutritionist about the soy products and she said they should not present a problem, even my surgeon agreed that as long as it's chewed extremly well (like any food) it should have no problem with the band.

I did a sleep study last night and it was absolutely horrible!! I took some sleep aid before I went. When I arrived at 7:30pm I could feel the sleep aid kicking in. I was literally falling asleep while the tech was attaching the endless amount of wires to me. By 9:00pm I had the lights out and was attempting to get comfortable, which was kind of hard especially with the stuff hooked up to my nose. I laid there for awhile and couldn't get to sleep. The tech came in around 10:15 because when I turned from one side to the other, one of the electrodes on my leg came off...so he has to come in, turn on the light and fix it. I took this time to run to the bathroom. Around 10:30pm I FINALLY fell asleep. When I woke up I was hoping it was close to the end of the study.. unfortunately it was only 12:30am From that point on I would doze off a few minutes wake up, doze off and wake up again. This happened most of the night. Of course every time I even adjusted in bed an electrode would fall off and the tech would have to come in, turn on the light and fix it. Not to mention that every time I moved slightly I would hear the tech over the intercom asking "Are you alright"??? Finally at 5:20am after feeling I was awake all night, constant electrodes falling off, and the Tech asking every few minutes if i was "alright" I was at my wits end and just sat on the edge of the bed until 5:30am when the study was over. I certainly hope they got enough data, because I don't know if I could take another round of all that garbage hooked up to me,

Defiantly a HIPPA violation!!! Considering this doctor has several known complaints filed against him, might as well add one more... GB2011, Click the link below and it should load the Health Information Privacy Complaint form: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/hipcomplaintform.pdf Fill out the form and then email it to: OCRComplaint@hhs.gov

I am curious...the original poster says she has a 12cc band..yet Dr. Carter was only putting in .5cc each visit. If the OP was not losing weight why wasn't more Fluid added to her band to achieve restriction?

I think some people look into getting it then attend a seminar, see what's involved, then decide against it. Usually when looking at information on How to Get Started, the first instruction is to "Attend a Seminar". My seminar took roughly an hour or so, and was extremely informative (even though I researched Lapband for almost 2 years prior). Only me and my wife actually stayed around afterward to ask questions..I think the purpose of the seminar is also designed to see who is REALLY interested.

It's basically to give you information to help decide if Lapband is right for you. Or look at it this way..better to go to the seminar and see if you are interested in the procedure, then to make an appointment to see the doctor, pay all the (usually non-refundable) program fees THEN decide you don't want the procedure. It's actually pretty darn informative and NOT boring. If you already started your stuff with your Lapband doc..it may be the Seminar is actually required by insurance.

I am yet to be banded but have suffered gout attacks for years. The attacks were so bad it would leave me unable to walk for sometimes a week or so at a time. About 4 years ago I completely stopped eating ALL meat...finally my gout attacks all but stopped. I do sometimes get small attacks when I eat certain tomato based products. I certainly hope getting banded and losing weight would not trigger gout attacks.

Mine is Cheese!!! I honestly hope I won't be able to eat it after I get banded...cheese is sooo (deliciously) EVIL!!

I was also wondering if it starts with the first surgeons visit as well..I heard it did, then I heard it starts with the first Nutritionist visit. Also heard that routine visits with the surgeon are counted as well during the process. The visits probably have to fall in 6 different months I assume .

My wife and I have to do the 6 month supervised diet as well with our UHC Options PPO insurance. We attend our first appointment with the surgeons office on the 18th, so we are really just starting the process. At first we were basically told the 6 month diet was not a requirement, but after calling the insurance company several times we managed it find out it was required. I am hoping that the 6 month will fly by, I have researched Lapband for almost 2 years now and we FINALLY have an insurance company that will pay 90%. After wanting the Lapband for 2 years, 6 months doesn't seem too much longer to wait (even though we are super anxious to have it done!!!).

I had the same issue with needed a letter of medical necessity from a PCP. We moved from South Carolina to Florida at the beginning of this year so neither me nor my wife had one. We told our surgeons office about that, and they said not to worry. They told us to do our first appointment with them (surgeons office) then they would get us an appointment with a PCP that they work with all the time and they would get the letter, physical, and everything else taken care of.

I know with my insurance the 3000.00 is the deductable. Once the deductable is met UHC/UMR covers everything 90%

My wife and I are about to meet with the Labband surgeon on the 18th of this month. We also have United Health Care handled by UMR, and have the UHC Options PPO plan. Our deductable is 3000. Initially my wife was told through her HR department that the requirments were just a BMI greater then 40 (35 with co-mobitities). We checked with her HR department twice once with a rep and once with a supervisor, and they both confirmed this. On Jan 3rd we called to UMR to check with them and find out the requirments. The rep at UMR stated the only requirment was to be 100lbs overweight. On the 4th our surgeons office called UMR and she was told 100lbs overweight and a 6 month supervised diet. After hearing about this from the surgeons office my wife called UMR and was told we only need to be 100lbs overweight. I dedcied to call after my wife did. I made the rep call to whatever department she had to and get the "propper" information. I was advised that the requirments were 6 Month supervised diet, 100lbs overweight and 40 BMI or higher.The rep said those were requirments straight from United Health Care. The rep also stated that when you call and talk to them, the reps only have basic information (trying to explain why we were told 100lbs overweight and not the correct info) Needless to say I was annoyed..not at the fact that we have to do the 6 month diet, but at the fact that they kept changing there stories. Personally i would call 3 or 4 times to verify exactly what you need, better yet see if you can get it in writing or have them email you a copy of the policy where it states what you need. Better to make sure then get ready for surgery THAN find out you need a 6 month diet.

It doesn't really matter what stage your on, you can get the hicups at anystage from eating too fast or too much. People are claiming they get the hicups from drinking Water too fast after being banded.

My sister had Gastric Bypass years ago and when she ate too much she would begin to hicup. For her it was usually a sign she was going to throw up. Her surgery was about 3 or 4 years ago and to this day she still gets the hicups when she eats. It"s weird because some people get the hicups and some don't. From what I ahve read some banded people say it's there body telling them they need to stop eating or that they ate too fast.

The Lapband and the hernia repair are 2 seperate procedures. Unfortunatly slapping on the lapband does not automatically repair the hernia because the area of the herniation has to be sutured. As far as coding, billers have to apply the code for the Lapband AND the hernia repair. Some procedures are "ALL IN ONE" codes..meaning there may be mulitiple procedures done that are listed as 1 code. As of yet there is no 1 code that will cover the Lapband with hernia repair, so you will see 2 seperate charges for the procedures. There are a few videos on Youtube that actually shows the repair of a hernia in the same session a doctor is doing a Lapband procedure. The videos are not for the squeemish, but will show you exactly that there are 2 seperate procedures to reapir the hernia and apply the Lapband. Was this nurse a person who actually assisted the doctor in the procedure or worked in the doctor's office??

I did a search for "Dr Richard Carter Texas reviews" and a few sites popped up..the one I found that info on was: http://www.casewatch.org You can try sites such as: vitals .com healthgrades .com obesityhelp .com

Just doing a small amount of research on this doctor, I was able to find some information on why I personally would never have chosen this guy: Richard A. Carter, D.O., who practices surgery in Arlington, Texas, has been disciplined three times by the Texas Board of Medical Examiner, twice related to surgery and once for false advertising. In 2006, the the board and Carter entered into an agreed order under which he paid an administrative penalty of $1,000 was required to complete ten hours of continuing medical education in the area of medical records and charting. The action was based on allegations that he had failed to meet the standard of care by leaving a sponge in the abdomen during an operation in which part of a patient's intestine was removed. In 2009, as shown below, the board ordered him to pay a $5,000 administrative fine and refrain from making misleading claims about himself and AmazeRx, a meal-replacement product he has been promoting. The Board action resulted from a complaint I made about infomercial and Web site advertising which claimed that the product could cause weight loss of up to a pound a day and failed to clearly state that the people who gave testimonials to that effect had undergone bariatric surgery. The order (shown below) prohibits any statements or claims that (a) he is "America's weight loss doctor," ( he is one of the most successful bariatric surgeons in the nation, and © the product will cure fatty livers and/or nutritional cirrhosis." Carter is also prohibited from making any other misleading claims about immediate results or long-term sustainability or how post-bariatric surgical patients compare to the general population. Infomercial Watch has a detailed analysis of the AmazeRx infomercial. In 2011, Carter and the board entered into an agreed order requiring him to pay a $1000 administrative fine and complete 20 hours of continuing medical education that includes 5 hours in medical record-keeping, 5 hours in risk management and 10 hours in physician/patient communication. The Board found Carter did not adequately document his rationale for the timing for removal of a patient's lap band or that he had counseled the patient. Makes me so glad that stuff like the internet exists so I was able to research the surgeon who will be doing mine and my wife's surgery.

My wife and I have our first appointment scheduled for January 18th. The woman who set up the appointment also told us it would take several hours.